Furkan Korkmaz Catches Fire Off the Bench vs. Chicago Bulls

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Another night in South Philly called for another Philadelphia 76ers victory in front of the home crowd at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday. After picking up a solid win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, the Sixers had one more chance to snag a win before hitting the road once again.

With the Chicago Bulls coming to town, the 76ers had a prime opportunity to get a small win streak going. Once again, they were without their star center, Joel Embiid, as he continues to heal up from his surgery, which took place last week.

Fortunately for the Sixers, their big-time investment in Al Horford is undoubtedly paying off. When the Sixers brought Horford on this past summer, he wasn't just viewed as a starting forward. He was also seen as an expensive, but reliable insurance for an often-injured Joel Embiid.

On Friday, Horford had himself a solid night as he contributed to 20 points. Sixers' point guard Ben Simmons also put in his fair share of production on the scoreboard by matching Horford's point total.

However, it wasn't Simmons or Horford who took the Sixers over the top on Friday to churn out a 100-89 win over Chicago. It was Sixers' veteran reserve, Furkan Korkmaz, who caught fire off the bench.

For the second time this season, Korkmaz exceeded his career-high of total points as he knocked down eight of his eleven attempted shots. In 26 minutes of playing time, Korkmaz led the entire Sixers' roster with 24 points thanks to his six three-pointers.

Following the game, Sixers' head coach Brett Brown didn't want to overdo it with his excitement for the young shooter. So he mentioned using the words "incredible" to describe Korkmaz's performance would be "dramatic."

But Brown couldn't leave the podium on Friday night without at least crediting his third-year guard for the energy he brought off the bench. "For us to see him come in and do JJ Redick-like stuff, and to have that type of bomber -- that was different!" Brown said. "He changed the game. He gave us a spark. The long shot, the quick buckets, it fueled our defense."

Korkmaz's fellow guard, Ben Simmons, felt the same way as his head coach after the game. "He was in rhythm," Simmons said. "I just kept trying to find him whenever he was open. When guys get comfortable and learn when and where to get their shots, it just makes everything easier."

The Sixers look to expand their two-game win streak on Saturday as they are set to face the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Although the Sixers have been on fire when playing in Philly this year, they still haven't figured out how to win consistently on the road.

As it stands, the Sixers are winless in 2020 when playing away. Right now, it's unclear why the results between playing at home and playing away are different, but they hope to begin putting the pieces of the puzzle together against an 11-31 Knicks team this weekend.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_